Kyrie Irving was the last NBA player to hit the game-winning shot in a Game 7 of the NBA Finals. In 2016, his three-pointer sealed a historic comeback that etched the names of Irving and LeBron James forever in NBA history, along with their other Cavaliers teammates.
Going into Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Irving appeared on NBA TV to preview the final game of the season and also recalled his own experience from nine years ago.
“Oh man, well first off, it’s an honor to be here, thanks for having me, guys, be part of this great conversation. It’s nothing like being at the pinnacle of the basketball world right now, especially the NBA. I mean, playing into the last, literally the last day of the season, something you kind of dream of as a kid. I pray that all your families are doing well, too. Man, for me, I’m excited just to see a new champion parade, you know, so to say, I’m ready to see this new blood, this new generation, kind of get to it.”
“They’re part of history now, you know, we haven’t had a game seven since 2016, that’s an incredible feat. I still remember game seven like it was yesterday. A lot of the guys from the 2016 team remember that as well, I mean, we etched our names forever, and one of the hardest, toughest sports championships. We beat each other up all season, we get to the playoffs, and we rough each other up even more so. And then you’re battling your brothers, you’re battling your peers. You’re trying to find little weaknesses to take advantage of.”
“But I feel like all that kind of goes out the window once game seven hits, and it’s about the best last man standing. So, I’m excited for these young guns to get to it and some of the veterans that are playing.”
While speaking of his own 2016 experience in particular, Irving recalled how nervous the time was for both teams. He also claimed he caught Stephen Curry off guard with the final shot.
“I really felt like [Steph] didn’t have an idea I was gonna go to that shot either.”
“Game 7. I barely slept the night before. My hands were sweaty. I was incredibly nervous. It was legacy on the line.”
🚨 CLUTCH GAME 7 FINALS MOMENTS 🚨
2016: Kyrie Irving pull-up triple with under a minute left to complete the Cavs 3-1 comeback pic.twitter.com/e8qgvWyeFu
— NBA (@NBA) June 21, 2025
In Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, Irving had 26 points, including the final shot over Stephen Curry that sealed a historic comeback after being down 3-1 in the series. He averaged 27.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in that series to co-pilot the comeback alongside James. Some would even believe that he deserved the Finals MVP award over James for his performance in this series.
The stage is set for Game 7 of this season’s NBA Finals, and all eyes are now on the Pacers and the Thunder to deliver a new champion to all basketball fans like Irving watching the exciting matchup. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the favorite to win the Finals MVP award if the Thunder wins this game. But Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers may have other plans.
